Foie Gras Now A Forbidden Delicacy; Ban Among New Laws Taking Effect

PASADENA (CBS) — New laws take effect Sunday, including Pasadena's citywide ban on plastic bags and a statewide ban on foie gras.

Signs were put up at supermarkets across Pasadena informing customers of the ban on plastic bags. Brown paper bags will now cost shoppers a dime apiece.

A first-of-its-kind ban on the goose and duck liver delicacy foie gras is also taking effect statewide.

Animal rights activists targeted the gourmet treat arguing the process of fattening up the livers was tantamount to animal cruelty.

Also effective Sunday is a law requiring tattoo and piercing artists, who apply permanent makeup, to register with a local government agency and get vaccinated against Hepatitis B, the Associated Press reported.

Another law aimed at protecting consumers from buying lemons is targeting used cars.

Cristy Fajardo, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, says car dealers will now have to place red warning stickers on vehicles that are listed as "salvaged" or "inundated during floods."

Meantime, two other state laws expand insurance coverage. One will require insurance providers to cover maternity services, while the other will require coverage for treatment of autism in young people.

Other midyear laws taking effect include two anti-bullying laws, one of which will require schools to update harassment and discrimination policies. The other will require training for school employees and gives priority in transferring districts to targets of bullying.

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» New Calif. Laws Including Foie Gras Ban Take Effect July 1